PROTEST AGAINST THE DECISION OF PROF. TEDDY CHARLES ADIAS AND THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OTUOKE ON THE QUALIFYING CRITERIA FOR CANDIDATES INTERESTED IN VICE CHANCELLOR POSITION SET AS SIX (6) YEARS PROFESSORSHIP: A NEGATIVE PRECEDENT AGAINST THE INTEREST OF BAYELSA STATE HOST-STATE STATUS AND LOCAL CONTENT INTEREST THAT NEEDS TO BE REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The attention of the Incorporated Trustees of Rural Peoples' Assembly, Bayelsa State chapter has been drawn to the publication advertising the vacancy into the office of the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Otuoke (FUO) currently circulating on the Daily Trust publication of 10/10/2025 calling for suitably qualified candidates interested in applying to fill the vacancy, to submit applications and wherein it was stated that candidates must have been professors for six (6) years and above is a high-handed, insensitive and a local content manpower strangulation criteria that needs to be reversed immediately to avoid setting a bad precedent.

The publication which is a call to replace Prof. Teddy Charles Adias who is the current Vice Chancellor of the Institution is currently the subject of serious debate because the University Caucus led by Prof. Teddy Charles Adias decided in their last Executive Council meeting in September 2025 to raise the years of professorial service experience for candidates from five (5) to six (6) years, as the new bench mark even though he was only five (5) years post professorial service when he became Vice Chancellor, thereby raising the bar hastily against candidates with similar professorial years of service immediately after his tenure in such a young university.  

Established in 2011, Federal University Otuoke (FUO) has remained a center for academic excellence and there has been no complaints against the fact that the qualifying criteria for VC in the University is too low or as a cause of low performance, to warrant this hike, even as the years of experience is not a strict criteria in the election of Vice Chancellor of Universities.

This is quite unfortunate and unbecoming against local content ambitions and interests to apply and attain the prestigious and coveted top job in the university system in a federal government establishment that is sited in Bayelsa State after his tenure. This is particularly also worrisome because the University which was established in 2011 and started with 282 pioneer students with six (6) faculties and offering degree courses at undergraduate levels is only beginning to groom its own professors to acquire the requisite qualifications and experience that can suitably fill the position in the VCship race. 

Among the list of Professors of Bayelsa State extraction that have spent five years and above as Professors are Prof. Dirikon Iniebio Tielanyo (Bayelsa East), Prof. Enetimi Idah Seiyaboh (Bayelsa West), Prof. A.R Arikawei (Bayelsa East), Prof. Hudron Kari (Bayelsa Central) who had been tipped as candidates favourably clothed with local content considerations, but this elevation of qualifying criteria from five (5) to six (6) by the outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. Teddy Charles Adias and his Kangaroo University executive management committee could automatically screen out about three individuals against local content interest if not reversed, thereby depriving Bayelsa State of the necessary local content advantage in the selection process.

Nigeria's local content policy is a national strategy aimed at increasing the use of Indigenous resources, services, and manpower in its economy, particularly in the oil and gas sector, but also extending to other industries. The policy's goals include building local capacity, creating jobs, and promoting the socio-economic development of the country by mandating that a certain percentage of offices, projects and procurement be handled by indigenous manpower and local firms. The policy is supported by specific legislation, such as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, and is enforced to encourage indigenous participation and value addition. At the state level, we encourage establishments to have particular consideration for the local manpower and firms to pick suitable qualified resources in filling vacancies and opportunities, with lower qualifications criteria to enable fair advantage. A policy which has been completely ignored by the executive management committee of Federal University Otuoke (FUO), Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

We see this decision to raise the qualifying criteria from five to six years as done without proper consultation from stakeholders and without proper consideration of the interest of the local content manpower already available and on ground, or orchestrated specifically to outdo our indigenous manpower as Bayelsa State people and therefore condemn the move in its entirety, even as we call on the University to revisit its decision immediately, without which we shall mobilize massively to stage protests against the University from stakeholders across State. We therefore give a 48hours Ultimatum to the Prof. Teddy Charles Adias and FUO Governing Council to reverse the decision or face severe protest from our members within and outside the state. Where this fails, we shall be constrained to seek further legal remedy from the Courts of Competent jurisdiction and seek a restraining order to halt the process.

We therefore use this medium to call on the Minister of Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission, Chairman House Committee on Education, Bayelsa State Government and other relevant Stakeholders to intervene and have this decision by the Prof. Teddy Charles Adias led FUO University Executive Council to revert to the old 5 years professorship criteria to provide fair opportunity to the indigenous candidates and recognize the local content rights accordingly.

To be president of Nigeria, qualification is Secondary School Certificate. To lead Federal University Otuoke, qualifications is now Professor + 6years. Is the University population and requirements bigger than that of Nigeria? Or is this another strategy to shift the opportunity away from the available indigenous manpower.

Signed:

PAMELA OVURU

State Publicity Secretary